Leave Cards at Home and Cut Debt

All too often those little plastic cards we carry around in our wallets take the ease of purchase that they provide and create a burden known as debt. Following the holiday season, especially, you may find yourself knee high in bills from creditors. Taking care while using credit cards can reduce debt and, in return, stress. However, if you end up with several credit card bills and just don’t know how you’re going to pay them off, you may wish to take these steps:

Lower the overall interest rate if possible. To do this, see if any of the cards offer a lower rate for transfers from other cards. If so, consolidate all cards into one. If none of the cards offers an acceptable rate, pay off the card with the highest interest rate first. This will allow you to make a steady climb out of debt. In the meantime, leave those credit cards at home and make sure the only additional charges are for real emergencies.

Resource: "Leave Cards at Home, Cut Debt," Rodney Loesch, December 20,   1998

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